HOW TO HIRE · EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENT

How to hire a fire performer in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

Fire performers need no licence in the UK. Here is what to check, what to ask and what a safe show looks like.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a fire performer in five steps

  1. Get the venue's yes in writingMany venues refuse indoor fire; outdoors, the land owner decides.
  2. Check the insurance wordingIt should name fire performance, not just entertainment.
  3. Ask for the risk assessmentSafety distances, fuel storage, wind limits, a safety assistant.
  4. Mark out the spaceClear of buildings, marquees, trees and the audience.
  5. Agree a weather planStrong wind can stop a fire show; agree what happens to your money.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No licence or register applies to fire performers in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, and no qualification is required by law. With no licence to check, the venue's permission, the insurance wording and the risk assessment do the work.

Before any deposit, ask for two recent hosts you can contact and for the fire performer booking terms in writing.

Public liability insurance for the fire performer

The law does not make public liability cover compulsory for this kind of booking, yet most venues write a minimum into their supplier rules. Venues and land owners usually want proof the policy covers fire performance specifically, not just general entertainment.

Get the venue's minimum in writing and match it against the fire performer's current certificate.

Venue permission and risk assessment

A fire show needs the venue's or land owner's agreement, and venues commonly ask for the fire performer's written risk assessment, a safety assistant and fire-fighting kit on hand. Where a Temporary Event Notice or council licence covers the event, its conditions may say more.

Get the venue's written permission, then ask the fire performer for the risk assessment, the safety distances and who stands by with extinguishers. gov.uk →

Trader status and cancellation terms

Paying a fire performer makes the arrangement a contract with a trader, and under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 the work must be done with reasonable care and skill. The usual 14-day right to cancel a distance or doorstep contract rarely helps here, because regulation 28 of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 leaves out leisure and catering services tied to a particular date; the fire performer's terms are what count.

Check, in writing, how much of the fire performer's deposit is refundable and by what date. legislation.gov.uk →

VAT

A fire show is a standard-rated performance, so a registered fire performer adds 20%. Fire performers over the £90,000 registration threshold have to charge VAT and list it separately from the price.

Ask the fire performer whether they are VAT-registered, and if so get the number and see the 20% under the show fee. gov.uk →

“Does your insurance cover fire performance specifically?”

A good answer: A fire performer who shows the policy wording naming fire.

“Can I see your risk assessment for this venue?”

A good answer: A written assessment covering distances, fuel, wind and crowd control.

“Who is your safety assistant, and what do they carry?”

A good answer: A named person with extinguishers and a fire blanket, sober and watching every move.

“How far must the audience stand back?”

A good answer: A clear safety distance, marked out before the show.

“Where do you store and refuel fuel?”

A good answer: Away from the audience and performance area, in proper containers.

“What wind or rain stops the show?”

A good answer: A fire performer who sets a limit and sticks to it.

“Do you have an LED version if fire is not allowed?”

A good answer: Often yes, priced separately.

Getting the quote right

  • The date, show times and length of the fire performer's act
  • Number of performers and the safety assistant
  • Props and any pyrotechnics, which need separate permission
  • Weather and cancellation terms
  • Travel and deposit
  • Their VAT number, if registered, with VAT under the show fee
  • Who actually attends: the performers and the safety assistant, and whether they are employed or subcontracted

Walk away if

  • No safety assistant at the fire show
  • Insurance that does not mention fire
  • No risk assessment, or a refusal to show it to the venue
  • Willing to perform indoors without the venue's permission
  • Fuel kept near the audience
LOW
£200
TYPICAL
£400
HIGH
£475

What a fire performer costs: £200–£475 per booking

Fire performers quote per booking by show length and number of performers, with a safety assistant part of a proper fire show and travel added. Fire Performer price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Fire performers near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. Site checkThe fire performer walks the space, checks wind, overheads and exits, and marks the safety line.
  2. Fuel and kitFuel kept in a dump area away from the audience; props soaked and spun off safely.
  3. Safety assistant in placeExtinguishers and blanket ready, eyes on the performer throughout.
  4. The showPerformed within the marked area, stopped if wind or crowd behaviour changes.
  5. Extinguish and clearProps put out, fuel removed, the area checked before guests move in.

Safety assistant
The person standing by with fire-fighting kit throughout the show.
Fuel dump
The separate area where props are soaked and excess fuel spun off.
Safety distance
The gap kept between fire and the audience or buildings.
Fire staff / poi / fans
Common fire props, each with different reach.
Risk assessment
A written look at the hazards and how they are controlled.
LED set
A non-fire version using lights, for venues that ban flame.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the booking and risk assessmentThey show what the fire performer agreed to and the safety plan.
Check the siteScorch marks or fuel spills raised with the fire performer and the venue at once.
Note any incidentAnything that went wrong, in writing, the same day.
Leave the reviewRate the fire performer once the event is over — reviews on Locufy are limited to booked jobs. If something went wrong, the make-it-right step comes first: the fire performer is asked to put it right before the review goes live.

STEP 1Put it to the fire performer in writingPut the problem — a show run without the agreed safety measures, a cut-short set, a late start — to the fire performer in an email, with dates and what you are asking for. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 treats every service contract as promising reasonable care and skill (section 49), and section 56 lets you ask for an appropriate reduction where a repeat is impossible.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyRate the fire performer below four stars and you are asked whether to send the problem to them first; we follow it through, then your review is published.
STEP 3Trading Standards, through the helplinesNo official body supervises fire performers. If the trader will not engage, Citizens Advice (0808 223 1133) covers England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland (0808 800 9060) covers Scotland, and Consumerline (0300 123 6262) covers Northern Ireland; each can pass a complaint about fire performers to Trading Standards.
STEP 4Money the fire performer will not returnMoney still owed by the fire performer can be claimed through the small-claims routes: up to £10,000 on the small claims track in England and Wales, up to £5,000 under simple procedure in the sheriff court in Scotland, and up to £5,000 in the small claims court in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a fire performer: questions people ask

No. Nothing in UK law licenses fire performers themselves. Any licence an event needs — an entertainment licence in Northern Ireland, a Temporary Event Notice in England and Wales — belongs to the venue or organiser, not the fire performer.

Not by law. Venues and councils often ask every fire performer for public liability cover, so find out the level yours wants and ask for the certificate.

£200 to £475 per booking, typically around £400. The fire performer price guide shows what pushes a quote up or down; enter your town above to see fire performers near you.

Only with the venue's agreement, and many venues refuse. Outdoors is usual, away from buildings and trees.

A marked safety distance, a safety assistant with extinguishers, fuel kept away from guests and a wind limit.

The fire performer should stop or switch to LED. Agree in the contract what happens to your money.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in events & entertainment

How to hire: Stilt WalkerHow to hire: MagicianHow to hire: Event Lighting HireHow to hire: Event PlannerHow to hire: Marquee HireHow to hire: Live BandHow to hire: MC / ToastmasterHow to hire: Event SecurityAll 701 hiring guides →

Fire performers near you

Fire performers in LondonFire performers in ManchesterFire performers in BirminghamFire performers in GlasgowFire performers in BelfastAll fire performers on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — entertainment licence (Northern Ireland)
  2. gov.uk — Temporary Events Notice
  3. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — contracts the cancellation right does not cover
  4. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  5. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  6. mygov.scot — make a court claim for money
  7. nidirect — small claims process
  8. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue (England)
  9. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  10. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register